Drawer-sliding device.



H. T. KEMP.

DRAWER SLIDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. ms.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

Application filed February 26. 1918. Serial No. 219,244.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY T. KEMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Drawer-Sliding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sliding drawer supporting devices and more particularly to means for mounting drawers in file cases and cabinets.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a drawer sliding device that will operate to effectively support the drawer when extended to its outermost position from the casing or cabinet within which it is mounted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a series of supporting racks at each side of the drawer adapted to be arranged compactly between the drawer and the sides of the casing when the drawer is in closed position and to be successively pulled outwardly when the drawer is pulled whereby the series of racks will be extended to support the drawer.

A further object is to provide a series of sliding supporting racks connected and assembled together in a manner that will evenly distribute the strain incident to the extended position of the drawer so that when the drawer is to be pushed back into position after being filled, the operator will be required to use only a minimum force to push the drawer inwardly. It is also my purpose to provide a series of supporting racks of this character that will be mounted on rollers arranged in a manner that will obviate the necessity of fastening pins or the like, the rack being associated in a manner that will retain the rollers in their proper relative positions.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a device of this character which consists of comparatively few parts and is simple in construction, but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of this character are ordinarily subjected.

For a full description of the invention and the advantages and merits thereof, reference is to'be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invention, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal section through a casing having a drawer mounted therein and showing a series of the devices mounted in position, partly broken away to more clearly disclose their construction.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the elements of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, wherein is illustratedthe Preferred form of my invention, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the casing or cabinet A includes the rear wall and the front wall and in the present instance, I have illustrated a bottom partition B although -it will be understood that the drawer and the present invention may be applied to any type of cabinet r casing.

Since the devices at each side of the drawer are identical in construction a description of one will suffice for the present specification.

Fixed to the side wall C of the cabinet and resting upon the partition B is a-bottom rack bar or rail 1 which is of a length slightly less than the distance'between the front of the cabinet and the rear wall thereof, the top edge f this rail is provided with a groove or channel 2 which extends from a point near the front end of the rail rearwardly for any required distance according to the distance that the next adjacent rail 4; is to move outwardly when the drawer is pulled as will presently appear. Each side of the bottom rail 1 is, provided with a groove 3 forming a pair of runway for the reception of tongues 5 carried by the flanges 6 of the clip 7. These flanges embrace the upper portion of the rail 1 as shown to advantage in Fig. 3 of the drawing and the tongues 5 are received in the runways so that the clips may longitudinally slide on the rail and at the same time be prevented from displacement therefrom.

The next adjacent rail 4: which is arranged in superposed relation with respect tothe bottom rail, 1 is. connected 'to the clip '7 through the medium of a fastening plate 8 which forms a part of the clip and overlaps the end of the rail 4, the plate being fastened by a screw 9 to the rear end of the rail or channels 2 and 11 overlie each other to receive a roller 12 in the form of a disk, the diameter of which is equal to the distance between the bottom of the grooves 2 and 11.

A slight space is thus permitted to intervene between the lower rail 1 and the adjacent rail 1, and when the rail 4 is moved outwardly, the roller 12 supports the same so that the pulling motion is accomplished easily and smoothly with a minimum of friction. This rail 4 is also provided with side grooves or runways 13 and a second clip 11, of the same general construction as the clip 7, has its tongues extended into the runways 13 at each side of the rail and the plate 15 of the clip 14 is attached to the end of the uppermost rail 16. The upper edge of the rail 4 is provided with a groove 17 near the front end of the rail and receives the roller 18 which is also partially extended into the groove 19 in the bottom edge of the uppermost rail 16. The latter groove 19 is arranged at a point where it is extended rearwardly beyond the rear end of the groove 17 so that the roller is received in the proximate'ends of the grooves 17 and 19 when the rails are in their innermost position.

Fastened to the side of the drawer above the uppermost rail 16 is a cleat 20 having a longitudinal key 21 received in a longitudinal key-way 22 in the upper edge of the uppermost rail 16. The drawer, therefore, is not fixedly connected to the uppermost ra1l 16 but is simply removably mounted thereon by virtue of the engagement of the cleat 20 with the uppermost rail so that the drawer may be readily lifted off the rails when it is extended to its outermost position if desired. For the purpose of exerting a pressure on the uppermost rail 16 so that the rails will all be held in a proper relative position, I have provided a binding plate 23 shown in detail in Fig. 4: of the drawing which has an outwardly turned flange 25 engageable with the upper marginal edge of the rail 16 between the side wall of the casing and the proximate edge of the cleat 20 as shown to advantage in Fig. 2 of the drawing. This plate 20 has a pair of tangs 26 adapted to be driven into the sides of the casing or cabinet and an opening in the plate is also provided for the reception of a screw or other fastening element to rigidly hold the plate in position. 1

In operation, assuming that the drawer is to be pulled outwardly, the cleat 20, by virtue of the engagement with the uppermost rail .16 will pull the latter outwardly until the roller 18 reaches the forward end of the groove 17, the rail 16 during this movement, being drawn outwardly until the roller is disposed in the rear end of the groove 19. During this movement, of course, the clip-14 slides over the rail 4 and the tongues of the clip 14:, by virtue of their positions in the runways 13, will prevent any tilting of the drawer during its forward movement even though the weight of the contents of the drawer might be at the forward end thereof. A continued pull on the drawer will cause the rail 4 'to'move outwardly and the roller 12 will 'inove forwardly through the groove 2 while the clip 7 slides over the rear end of the lowermost rail.

It will be noted from a consideration of Fig. 2 of the drawing that the rollers are arranged within the grooves in a manner that will obviate the necessity of any. fastening pins or the like since the sides of the grooves retain the rollers in position so that they are free to roll but accidental lateral displacement is prevented.

From the foregoing it will be observed that a very simple and durable drawer sliding device has been provided the details of which embody the preferred form. I desire it to be understood, however, that slight changes may be made in the minor details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

I claim:

1. A sliding drawer device of the character described comprising a plurality of rails separately disposed in superposed spaced relation and having their proximate edges provided with longitudinal grooves, rollers mounted for free rotation within the grooves and adapted to successively rotate as the rails are moved, and clips carried by the rails and engageable with adjacent rails for maintaining the rails in their properrelative position. I

2. A drawer sliding devicecomprising a plurality of superposed rails of uniform length and thickness, the sides of all but the uppermost rail having longitudinal runways opening at the inner ends of the rails, clips fixed to the inner ends of all but the lowermost of the said rails, each clip having tongues received in the said runways, and roller disks interposed between the proximate edges of the rails near the outer ends thereof. r

3. A sliding drawer device comprising a plurality of rails arranged in superposed relation, rollers interposed between the proximate edges of the rails, clips fastened to the rear ends of the rails and engaged with the sides of the adjacent rails to connect the said rails together, and permit sliding movement with respect to each other, and a binding element engageable with the uppermost rail to exert a pressure thereon for holding the said rollers in engagement with the said rails.

a. A sliding drawer device comprising a plurality of rails arranged in superposed relation, rollers interposed between the proximate edges of the rails, clips fastened to the rear ends of the rails and engaged with the sides of the adjacent rails to connect the said rails together, and permit sliding movement with respect to each other, and a binding element engageable with the uppermostrail to exert a pressure thereon for holding the said rollers in engagement with the said rails, and a cleat fixed to the drawer and removably attached to the uppermost rail for drawing the latter outwardly when the drawer is pulled.

5. A sliding drawer device comprising a Copies of this patent may be obtained for plurality of spaced superposed rails of uniform length and thickness and having their proximate edges provided with longitudinal channels and their opposite sides provided with longitudinal runways opening at the inner ends of the rails, the ends of the channels in the proximate edges of the rails being adapted to overlap when the rails are in their normal innermost positions, roller disks mounted in the channels at the overlapped ends thereof, and clips attached to the ends of certain of the rails and provided with flanges embracing the upper portion or" the adjacent lower rails, and tongues formed on the flanges and received in the said runways.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY T. KEMP.

Witnesses Conn B. KEMP, BERT E. WATSON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

